"What happens in Vegas"... Will likely end up on this site. Sorry, Las Vegas Chamber.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Unnecessary Hardship

Last week, several US Senators announced a bipartisan compromise that would finally renew the extension of federal unemployment insurance (UI) if enacted. Senator Dean Heller (R) was the lead Republican negotiating a deal. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) quickly signaled his approval once the deal was announced. And the bill looked ready to pass the Senate.

Then yesterday, it died. Even before it could pass the Senate, the deal looked dead. And even though over 2 million Americans will be the ones suffering over this latest Capitol Hill SNAFU, the deal looks deader than ever.

And why's that? As usual, we can thank House Speaker John Boehner (R-FUBAR) for this. Yesterday, he pissed all over blithely dismissed the Senate's bipartisan UI extension deal by feigning concern over the very measures that Senate Republicans wanted in the bill. And of course, he offered the usual nonsensical excuses for why he won't let his lower house of Congress even vote on the upper house's UI extension bill.

So now, over 2 million Americans and all 50 states will be left to suffer. And it's all due to the lower house's G-O-TEA "leaders" refusing to let go of their agenda of nothing.

So far, over 26,000 Nevadans have suffered due to the lapse of the federal UI extension. Monty Kosta is one of those Nevadans. And he recently shared his story with Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas).

This is why Reps. Steven Horsford & Dina Titus (D-Paradise) have signed a discharge petition demanding a House floor vote on UI extension. And this is why both of Nevada's US Senators, Dean Heller and Harry Reid, have urged House Republican "leaders" to show some real leadership in allowing a #RenewUI vote in their chamber. While some G-O-TEA politicians enjoy playing political games with people's lives, these people are experiencing unnecessary hardship due to these unnecessary political games.

While most of the rest of Nevada's Congressional Delegation have spoken out on UI extension, Rep. Joe Heck (R-??!!) has remained eerily silent. Why is that? He says he cares about job creation. So why not sign a discharge petition for bipartisan legislation that can end the unnecessary hardship crippling over 26,000 Nevadans while also giving our economy a much needed boost?